The Dog's Diary: A Tale of Healing
by Natmonkey
Summary: Stubbs and Alistair go off to find Astoreth a healer.


**A Tail-... ****Tale of Healing**

White Hair looks scared. "Maker, it's not working!" She's done that awesome thing with the light several times, but the lady isn't getting better. My poor lady. She is just lying there, all still and pale. Her clothes had to be thrown away. There is a really big cut in her upper body – all the way from her lower belly to partway through her teat – that won't stop bleeding. What if she does die?

"There was poison on the blade," says Pointy Ears. His forehead is wrinkled with worry. "By now it will have mixed with her blood. It may be blocking your magic."

"Horse feathers!" I have never seen White Hair so angry. "How could she be so foolish? Always running headlong into danger…"

Now Tin Can looks angry. "This wasn't her fault!" He sighs. "It was mine; I should have protected her better." Poor Tin Can. I know it wasn't his fault. Whatever happened, it can't be his fault. He would never let the lady get hurt if he could help it.

"Nonsense." Pointy Ears places a hand on Tin Can's shoulder. "We couldn't have known Howe was lying in wait for us." Everybody is so sad. I am too. Poor lady.

"From now on," says the giant, "we will be beheading all of our adversaries." It's the first thing he has said in hours. "This can never happen again."

The nice female is crying, angry female holding her hand. I think the nice female just grabbed her and won't let go. They both look very worried too. "Maker, why wasn't I here to go with you?" sobs the nice female. "My poor friend…"

"Leliana, this would still have happened." Angry female pats her shoulder. "You know Astoreth; she is very resilient. 'Tis but a scratch for her." Sigh. "Will you _please_ release my hand now?"

"No," sobs the nice female. Angry female rolls her eyes.

Firefur takes a drink and shakes his head. "I can't sodding believe this is happening. She's the main character!" Everybody looks at him funny. "What?" he says. "She is! Do you think the writer is getting sick of writing all this?" Everybody looks at him even funnier than before. "Never mind."

The statue snorts. "Oh, yes, it whines and moans about a lack of reviews." It rolls its eyes. "But maybe, just maybe, these stories are not as good as it fancies." Now everybody is looking funny at it.

Tin Can walks to the door. "I'm going to the apothecary and see if they have an expert on poisons."

"That is a good idea." White Hair looks at me. "Go with him, Stubbs."

I snuggle a little closer to the lady. "No! I have to stay with her."

"Go, Stubbs. He needs you." White Hair pats the lady's hand. "We will all keep your mistress company."

The giant strokes my back. "She will be safe."

"Okay then…" I run after Tin Can, who is almost outside already. "Tin Can! Wait for me!"

"Decided to keep me company, have you?" He pats my back. Such sad eyes. I think his cheeks are wet too. Aww… "You're not angry with me then?"

"No, of course not." I rub my head against his leg. "I know it's not your fault."

Tin Can gives me sad smile. He keeps quiet while we walk. This city smells so good. I love it here. Maybe the lady and I can live here, when the darkspawn are all dead. That would be nice. And we could get Tin Can's sister and teach her how to be nice. Maybe she doesn't know how to. But it won't matter if my lady dies. "Maker's breath," Tin Can mutters. "This is it." There is a weird look on his face. "What if she dies? I can't… I don't know what to do without her."

"No!" I nudge his hand. "We're going to save the lady." Not sure if I believe that myself. I can't help him; no matter what I say, Tin Can keeps blaming himself. Tin Can takes us into a house that has a sign above the door. I can't read what it says, but it has a picture on it of a thing the lady uses to make salves and stuff. A bowl and a poundy thingy.

"Please, you've got to help me," says Tin Can. He sounds almost crazy. "My friend has been poisoned and she's dying and I can't help her and our healer-…"

The human behind the counter holds up his hands. "Whoa there, ser, please slow down."

"_I have no time to lose!_" Tin Can grabs the human and shakes him. "_Help me!_" Uh oh, panic.

I jump up and lay my paw on his arm. "Tin Can, please calm down. You're scaring him." He doesn't listen.

Another human male comes in from the back, the thing from the sign in his hands. This one is wearing a dress in many colours. "What's all this racket?"

"_Help me!_" Tin Can screams. "My friend is dying, she's been poisoned-…"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, mate." The male puts his bowl and poundy thing on the counter and tells the other male: "I'll take care of this."

"Good," he says, twisting a finger beside his head. "I've seen enough crazy for today."

"He's not crazy!" I tell them. "He's just sad." I rub my head against his leg. "Don't listen to them, Tin Can." I remember how he told the angry female I wasn't mangy. This is the same thing.

We leave with the new guy. Whoa, he has a tail on the back of his head. And there is something shiny in his ear. Weeeeird. "Nice dog," he says, looking at me.

"Thank you!" He doesn't even know me, but that's okay. I let him pet me. Soft hands.

"Well then, tell me about this friend of yours." The male with the tail – I'm rhyming! – looks at Tin Can. "You said she was poisoned?" I listen to them talk. Tin Can has calmed down a little and he explains what happened to the lady. Nobody's told me yet. Hmmm. I'm glad this Howe human is dead. He doesn't deserve to live after what he did to the lady. They thought she was dead, even. Poor lady. I really hope this tail-guy can make her better.

Back at the big stone house. Run, run, run! The lady needs us. Aw… I was kind of hoping she'd have woken up while we were away, but no. "How is she?" I ask. Only two of the humans can answer me.

"Much the same," replies angry female. "Damnation, Leliana, my hand is really beginning to hurt now. Perhaps if you loosened your grip a bit, hmm?"

"I'm sorry." The nice female sniffles. "I'm just so afraid she'll die…"

The giant sighs. "Nonsense. She is strong and healthy; she only needs a better healer." White Hair gives him an angry look. "Look at me like that all you want. Your magic has done nothing for her."

"True enough," sighs White Hair. She looks weird at the new guy. I think I'll call him Tail. "Anders?"

"Oh, hello, Wynne." He looks at the lady and his eyes grow wide. "What happened to my favourite mystery orphan?" His hand touches her forehead; he frowns. Those hairly lines above their eyes make it so easy to see what humans are thinking. Roughly.

"I thought I'd explained all that on the way," grumbles Tin Can. "So you two know each other, then?"

Tail shrugs. "No, not really. It's more that we knew of each other." He pulls the lady's covers down and her clothes up. Her bandages are black with blood again. "Oh, that doesn't look good." White Hair takes away the bandages, so Tail can look at the lady's wound. "Maker's breath." He takes a very close look. "Well, at least her organs appear to be undamaged…"

"I have a sample of the poison, if that helps." Pointy Ears pulls a piece of cloth from his pocket. There are brown and red stains on it. Poor Pointy Ears. He looks so worried too.

"Thank you." Tail smiles very kindly at Pointy Ears. "That will help a lot." He sniffs the cloth. "Hmm… I'll have to return to the apothecary to run some tests and determine the ingredients." Tin Can starts whining right away, but there is nothing else for it. "Will you just calm down? I will be back as soon as I can." Shaking his head and muttering under his breath about being _a healer, not a miracle worker, damn it_, Tail walks out.

I'm just going to cuddle up to the lady. Her eyes are moving under the lids. What does that mean? It's okay, lady. I'll protect you. I'm sorry I wasn't there before. Really sorry.

~*|'-'|*~

Well, all we can do now is wait, says Tail. He made a medicine to fight the poison and her wound is no longer bleeding. The giant even gave the lady some of his blood, to replace the blood she had lost. Isn't that nice of him? He must really love her. It didn't go well at all and in the end Tin Can had to give some of his, but at least the giant was nice enough to try. Tin Can and the nice female have gone outside with White Hair and Pointy Ears. To work, they said. Angry female is gone too and she has taken the lady's money. To buy new clothes? I don't know. The giant is resting; it's not easy giving away so much blood. And for nothing too. Firefur left to find more drinks, I think. At least he's keeping himself high-dray-ted. I know so many big words now.

Tail is looking after the lady. She is still sleeping. There is some colour on her cheeks now. I think she'll get better. Sleeping helps me feel better too. So sleep, lady. Feel better soon.


End file.
